Town police saluted seven of their own for their roles investigating the death of James “Jimmy” Moore, who was struck by a car on June 15.

Three police officers and four dispatchers received commendations at police headquarters on Tuesday, as police Chief Joseph Ferreira praised them for “dedication” and “tenaciousness” after the incident that took the life of the wheelchair-bound 65-year-old.

Michael Holtzman

Town police saluted seven of their own for their roles investigating the death of James “Jimmy” Moore, who was struck by a car on June 15.

Three police officers and four dispatchers received commendations at police headquarters on Tuesday, as police Chief Joseph Ferreira praised them for “dedication” and “tenaciousness” after the incident that took the life of the wheelchair-bound 65-year-old.

Ferreira quoted a statement from the family of Moore, a popular lifelong town resident stricken with cerebral palsy but remained fiercely independent.

“Our sincere thanks go to everyone at the Somerset Police Department for your endless pursuit for justice for Jimmy,” it read. “Your efforts in completing the investigation were nothing shy of remarkable.”

Moore had left a clamboil at the nearby AmVets hall and was traveling in his motorized wheelchair on Read Street about a quarter-mile from his apartment for senior and disabled citizens shortly before midnight on that Friday night.

He was traveling in the road, against the traffic, as he often did, when he was struck. He died about an hour later.

While it took the assistance of area police chiefs and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office to place the automated emergency notification system phone calls that eventually broke the case with a call from the suspect’s wife, ranking officials emphasized the role of their dispatchers and officers, whose efforts led to the arrest of a Fall River man on the night of June 18.

A three-page letter from Neto, who headed operations and the investigation, details data the dispatchers and officers collected and coordinated that led to the identification of the suspect vehicle, a damaged 1998 or 1999 “silver spruce” Toyota Avalon XL.

Police eventually impounded a 1999 Avalon in connection with the arrest of Richard Reis, 35, of 280 Ridge St., Apt. 1, Fall River, who was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with personal injuries, death resulting.

Reis was held on $10,000 cash bail and is scheduled for a July 19 probable cause hearing in Fall River.

Neto’s letter, which was shared with the media, reviewed many previously revealed aspects of the investigation and specified the contributions of individual department members.

In particular, Matos played a key role in following up on all leads generated by dispatchers, who were checking databases and parts dealers to track down the suspect vehicle.

Matos, assisted by Wilkinson, made the arrest at the suspect’s home.
“It should be noted that Det. Jason Matos had searched for that vehicle that afternoon, and was scheduled to return to the owner’s address to ascertain the whereabouts and inspect that same vehicle,” Neto wrote.

A concluding statement said: “Throughout this investigation these members of the Somerset Police Department performed as a team, working countless hours while performing their regular duties.”